Regulator failure

thunderbird_driver,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

You will need to email support@dell.com and have them replace the power supply or motherboard on your system.

optimist2003,

Well, I did not see which system it was so, what you can do is know the type of system it is and call the Dell Spare Parts Department at 1-800-372-3355 and order a motherboard for your system.

Jesse,

   I too have this problem (the support guys have so far not pointed to the motherboard or power supply, they instead have only asked me to update my bios - I'm guessing they're in India and are only killing time...But that's an another issue.)  - My box is pretty old, out of warrenty I'm sure, and I inherited it from my ex-employer when I was downsized anyway.  How can I get a new motherboard?  If I can find one on ebay, how can I tell that it is a "fixed" one that won't have the exact same problem?

 

Thanks

JS

optimist2003,

No, just give them your type of system that you have and they should be able to hook you up with a motherboard.

Sorry, it's an Optiplex GX1, 450Mhz.  Is there a particular build date or revision # I should be looking for?

You can get a Used GX1 for $99.

http://www.pcretro.com

 

First you replace anything, reseat the CPU, RAM chips, and the power supply cables.

For some it fixed it completely

I think you're thinking of the workaround that involves renaming/removing the plug-in extensions for hardware support which speed photoshop up...I've done that and it does help quite a bit.  Some things which used to crash the box consistently don't anymore...now the crashes are fewer and, of course, unexpected.  So long as I save my work often, I can get through the day without shooting myself. 

Looking at other posts, I see that there is indeed a Rev 1 and Rev 2 motherboard for the optiplex...anyone know how to tell the difference?

There are well known problems with Photoshop and the GX1 range; I believe a patch that alleviates (but may not cure) the problem is available.

Yeah, I've been looking at replacement motherboards and GX1's (I live near one of pcretro's shops).  I've reseated everything, except the power supply cables...I'll have to try that.  Dell will sell me a new motherboard for $250!  Many on Ebay for < $100, some < $20 - or a whole GX1 from pcretro for $169 (little mem, even less HD).  It crashes for me repeatably when I do some things with Photoshop.  The problem is, this is a genetic flaw with the PIII yes?  So I have little confidence that getting a new motherboard or power supply or whatever is going to fix it - I mean, is there something Wrong with my motherboard that isn't also wrong with all the others?  Did mine somehow go bad and this is the only way it shows it?  I'd feel more confident about getting one if someone could point to a build date or revision beyond which the problem was fixed.  One thing I'm not doing and that's buying a Brand New motherboard for $250, when I can get a newer, faster box for not much more than that, even if it's not a Dell.

Placement of the onboard video chip and the jumpers

Jumpers on rev 1 go up to 450MHz and Jumpers on rev 2  go up to 600MHz

I believe the onboard video is in the middle in rev 1 and onboard video is on the right side in rev 2

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@sopronto wrote:

Hi, everyone,

I wanted to ask if anybody knows of any website where you can get a patch to fix regulator failure, since I have the same problem on my Dell GX1 with Adobe Photoshop.

Message Edited by sopronto on 12-12-2003 12:30 PM

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There isnt a patch. If someone said there was a patch they are misinformed.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/2256a.htm

Adobe application crashes or freezes on Pentium 3 computer (Photoshop 6.0-7.x or Photoshop Album 1.x on Windows)

Issue
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Album crashes with a blue or black screen, freezes, unexpectedly restarts, or displays a Program Error on a computer that has an Intel Pentium 3 processor.

Detail
If the computer manufacturer is Dell Computer Corporation, the system may return the error "Alert: Regulator Error."

Solution

Contact the motherboard or computer manufacturer for assistance resolving this issue, which occurs because of an electrical problem on some motherboards.

Note: As a temporary workaround on some computers, you can disable the extensions that optimize data movement in Photoshop or Photoshop Album. Performance, however, will slow noticeably.

To disable the extensions in Photoshop:
1. Exit from Photoshop.
2. In Windows Explorer, move the Extensions folder from the Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop [version]/Plug-Ins/Adobe Photoshop Only folder to a location outside of the Adobe folder (for example, move it to the desktop).
3. Restart Photoshop.

To disable the extensions in Photoshop Album:
1. Exit from Photoshop Album.
2. In Windows Explorer, move the MMXCore.8BX plug-in from the Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Album/Apps/Plugins folder to a location outside of the Adobe folder (for example, move it to the desktop).
3. Restart Photoshop Album.

Additional Information

The electrical problem on the affected motherboards is triggered by computer operations that use the pathway (called a bus) between the processor and the RAM for an excessive number of microseconds. This problem can be triggered by the operating system or other applications; however, it often appears when using Photoshop or Photoshop Album because few other applications move memory as rapidly as Photoshop or Photoshop Album does.

In Compaq Presario notebook computers, either the electrical problem cited above or an overheated display card may cause the screen to turn black or the computer to restart.

The electrical problem also occurs with Dell Optiplex GX1 computers and ASUS P2B-F and P3B-F motherboards and possibly with other motherboards.

Background information

The electrical problem on the affected motherboards is triggered by computer operations that use the pathway (called a bus) between the processor and the RAM for an excessive number of microseconds. This problem can be triggered by the operating system or other applications; however, it often appears when using Photoshop or Photoshop Album because few other applications move memory as rapidly as Photoshop or process data as intensely as Photoshop Album during certain operations. For example, when Photoshop Album generates thumbnails while importing files, it uses the MMXCore extension (MMXCore.8bx) extensively. Because Photoshop Album requires more processor power when using the MMXCore extension, the usage may trigger an electrical problem on some motherboards.

In Compaq Presario notebook computers, either the electrical problem cited above or an overheated display card may cause the screen to turn black or the computer to restart.

The electrical problem also occurs with Dell Optiplex GX1 computers and ASUS P2B-F and P3B-F motherboards and possibly with other motherboards.

Hi, everyone,

I wanted to ask if anybody knows of any website where you can get a patch to fix regulator failure, since I have the same problem on my Dell GX1 with Adobe Photoshop.

Message Edited by sopronto on 12-12-2003 12:30 PM